Maybe
by Akai Sera
Summary: A one-shot commission for AmberTruesdale on deviantArt. Justin Law x her OC, Amber. Justin has spoken to Amber a few times. The half-witch is on his mind quite a bit. But that doesn't mean anything... does it? How does a man face his heart when his mind is constantly disagreeing?


Everything had changed so quickly once Asura was defeated. He had reverted to an almost human appearance. The kishin's third eye and power had been sealed, and Lord Death was keeping him isolated and under guard. Those three teams who were always getting in trouble were already causing problem across the school grounds after a vacation week had been allotted for Shibusen Academy. The black blood was being contained, at least for the time being, and there was even going to be a formal celebration of the victory over Asura and madness. Even Spirit was acting strangely bright; he hadn't been Reaper-chopped or Maka-chopped in over a week...

Even with the strangely peaceful lull that had settled over Death City, a few were hard at work. Hiro had been nominated (or forced, as some would say) to lead the setup for the party Lord Death and the staff of Shibusen were throwing for the students. A few death scythes had been roped into participating as well; Spirit had requested to be in charge of dress code, but was shot down immediately, instead arraigned to snack duty. The devout Justin was assigned to choose the music, and was studying religiously for his role- Well, he was still blasting music through his headphones as usual, but he was listening to a mix that had been suggested to him by one of the few constants in Death City. He sat against a wall in the gymnasium that was to become the hall for their party, his thoughts of the peace that would follow the chaos of the festivity interrupted for the moment by the words of the girl who'd given him the playlist.

Amber Bell, the half-witch girl who'd recently been allowed to join the academy, was the opposite of what he'd expected. She was talkative and saccharine, and didn't seem much like a witch at all despite the pink hat that she always wore. Maybe it was her weapon-half that was dominant... The magenta-eyed girl wore her long brown hair tied up in pigtails and hung around the strangest people, friendly despite the fabricated reputation that had preceded her when she'd been accepted to Shibusen. Before her arrival, there was speculation of her witch blood. Once a part of the school, she was judged as a frail Mary-Sue and an outcast by some of the less accepting students, but ignored it and continued to be happy among her friends. It was admirable of her to be so bright when some students could be so cold.

It wasn't unlike her to be as jovial as she was about the upcoming celebration, and she'd gone on and on about the music mix she'd come up with especially for the event. There was a set of slow dance pieces, a mashup of several popular new songs, and loads of rock that almost everyone knew the words to. She'd gestured wildly and dragged Hiro into the conversation, making it difficult for the death scythe to read her lips, when asked to explain the tracks. Even with the communication flub that had followed, he could tell Amber was excited about the party. Her choice of music was appropriate for the occasion, and it would be a hit if the tech group could hook up the stereo speakers correctly; Black Star, Soul, and Kid were still grappling over whether it was more important for the speakers and equipment to be cool, functional, or symmetrical...

The two had only spoken maybe a dozen times, but there was a pleasant air about Amber that made it feel like they'd been friends for a lot longer. She was just the kind of person one felt comfortable around. Thinking back to their conversation, he recalled something she'd expressed with a wink just before leaving with Hiro in tow; "Save me a dance, maybe?" Had she meant it, or was it simply a pleasantry exchanged because they'd been discussing the dance-esque aspects of the upcoming party? And if she had meant it, was it simply a request for a single dance? Would there be a 3 minute span of time in which he had to forget his duty and dance alongside this girl, or did she mean that there were feelings behind the request, such as a desire for future meetings? Justin felt he was looking too far into the simple farewell, but he couldn't help but think that perhaps he and Amber _would _have a dance. He wondered for a moment if the girl would accept an invitation to accompany him to the celebration...

Justin frowned and adjusted his shawl, cheeks burning pink. Thinking about that girl, he'd remembered that she was living with her meister. "How inappropriate," he muttered. The words were soft enough to be drowned out by the admittedly pleasant din coming from his earbuds, but they rang out in his mind. It wasn't jealousy, per se. He was simply concerned that living with a young man of questionable morals could be dangerous for the girl. However unlikeable the situation, it was a problem for Justin to worry about and not pester Amber with. After all, it was a man's duty to protect a lady, and even moreso the duty of a death scythe! A little more determined, Justin glanced at Hiro, who was standing at the height of a wobbly ladder and hanging up streamers. The green-eyed meister grinned and waved to Justin, almost toppling from his perch before scrambling like a cat to get a grip on the rungs of the ladder.

He gave a sigh, the tone tinged with remorse, and dropped his ideas of 'rescuing' Amber. Hiro and Crona seemed naturally close to her, and they really were no threat to her safety. Crona wouldn't hurt a fly, and Hiro seemed to stupid to bother with indecency or darkness. It wasn't exactly as though Amber was interested in him as a person, anyway. _Though, maybe she could be..._ There was a thunderous crash as the ladder that had been propped against a high windowsill pitched over and raced to the floor, flinging an obviously surprised Hiro a few feet from the opposite wall. One of the meisters who'd been inflating balloons helped the bruised blonde up, but most of the crowd simply sighed or chuckled to themselves. Justin wondered if Amber would dance with her meister at the party as well. He seemed a bit clumsy, but a lot of the girls seemed interested in spending time with him regardless. Was even Amber interested in him? She seemed so cheerful, even around her inadequate meister...

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts as a new song began pummeling his eardrums, he grumbled under his breath again. "Don't argue with yourself, you coward. It's not as though you've known her long, or you're ever going to actually ask her. It's just a thought... Right?" However he looked at it, it was simply his imagination fooling him. Besides, he'd never been particularly interested in Amber. Not openly, anyway. She was only a girl, one who'd proved time and time again to be a distraction from his duty to Lord Death. Amber Bell was his siren. The bright magenta of her eyes drew him in, even in the flat colors of reverie, and Justin stood, digging his nails into his palm. He was tired of distant speculation. Today he would ignore the loud voice of reason and follow his likely sense-impaired heart. Turning up the volume on his mp3 player until he couldn't hear a cohesive thought, Justin let his emotion take over and tried to come up with a solution for his conflicted feelings. Nothing could come through clearly other than a hollow ache at the thought of her dancing with someone else, and he gave a sigh, approaching Hiro for advice.

The meister was sitting away from the large group, winding a bandage around his swollen left wrist, and he looked up as Justin's shadow spilled into his working light. "Why am I thinking of your partner constantly?" Justin asked bluntly. Hiro gave him a look of surprised respect, then smiled. "What kind of thoughts?" he shot back, "Of her fighting? Her smile? Her, naked?" Justin, who knew he'd read the boy's lips correctly, keeled over backward at Hiro's last question, sputtering, "O-of course not that one, you moron! I'm a man of morals!" His face was beet-red, and he refused to look at the aqua-eyed meister as he added with a cough, "I just seem to think of her a bit... How cheery she is. How I want to protect her. How it hurts to see her with another man... Normal things like that."

Justin looked back at Hiro to see him laughing and grinning. "Of course," he replied, "You wouldn't understand love, huh? Too busy giving sermons on the weekends to go out and live a little? No offense..." Justin was about to leave the meister behind when he added, "It's simple, you're in love. Puppy love, maybe, but love nonetheless." Still red-faced, Justin grumbled, "Stop saying that word, it's ridiculous!"

"Love love, Justin's in love! You love Amber! Love!" Justin reached out and shoved Hiro out of the chair, his palm sending a flat strike to the blonde's forehead. "Shut up! I'll tell her how I feel if you shut up!" Hiro sat up on his elbows, looking past Justin at something unknown and grinning, "You'll do what?" he asked, his voice a challenge. Justin let out his breath and shouted back, "I'll tell Amber I love her!" Lord, that sounded ridiculous. It was so unlike him... Again his face was burning red, but Justin gave Hiro a victorious smirk. The death scythe spun around, only to face magenta eyes set in a shocked expression. Two sets of cheeks turned bright red, and Justin was alarmed to see the very girl of his daydream staring at him. He knew without asking that she'd been who Hiro was looking at, and that she'd heard his embarrassing proclamation. Even so he found himself awkwardly sighing, "I didn't mean that. It's just, er-"

Amber turned away, starting at a walk and then sprinting out of the room, her face hidden beneath the brim of her pink witch's hat, and Justin didn't even glance back at Hiro before following. "Amber, wait!" he called, only a few feet behind as she rounded a corner. He stopped just shy of crashing into the girl as she halted abruptly beside the wall, once again spinning around. There was a wide grin on her face, and she demanded, "I know you were lying in front of Hiro, liar. Say it again, for real." Justin was taken aback by her words, and he mumbled, "Say what?" Amber gave him a stern, pouting frown, complaining, "You KNOW what!" The blonde death scythe gaped back after reading the girl's lips, realizing he'd been lured away from Hiro so he couldn't explain away the outburst.

"W-well, you know, I..." He glanced at Amber's eyes, then stared a hole in the wall to his right. "I was having some weird thoughts, and Hiro said I..." He steeled himself for the confession, but the words dropped out easily. After all, he'd already said it aloud. "I was thinking, and maybe I love you maybe, okay? Can I go back now?" The pink-clad half witch grinned and poked Justin hard on the forehead. "Of course you can," she chirped brightly, "But you better save me every dance at that party~" With a wink, Amber planted a quick kiss on Justin's cheek and traipsed off, sticking her tongue out at him when she was about ten feet away. "Maybe I love you too!" she shouted, skipping away as the death scythe stood frozen in place. Despite the joyous shock seeping into him, a word repeated itself in Justin's mind; _Maybe._


End file.
